The New York metropolitan area isn’t just welcoming back the Larry O’Brien Trophy after the New York Knicks ended their 53-year title drought earlier this month. It is also welcoming back a familiar face. In one of the offseason’s more unexpected moves, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded former Knicks star Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets, bringing him back to New York. The deal left many scratching their heads, but if there’s anyone especially happy about it, it’s Kendra Randle, the forward’s wife.

Kendra shared a bunch of stories following the three-team trade revealed on Monday. Sharing one post welcoming Randle to the Nets family on Instagram, she wrote, “New York friends and family were backkkk omg,” with a bunch of crying and heart emojis.

What stole the show, however, was a throwback video dating back to when they previously lived in New York, when Randle was a member of the Knicks.

She even revived the viral video of their eldest child, Kyden, from 2021. Then just four years old, Kyden left Barclays Center in tears after the Nets edged his father’s former team, the Knicks, 114-112. In the clip, he pointed at a poster featuring James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Jeff Green and famously declared, “I hate those.”

Kendra commented under it, “True full circle moment, go nets!” She reshared it and wrote once again, “Full circle moment!”

It indeed was a full circle when a now older Kyden, sporting a cast on his hand, sent a message to the Nets fans. “Yo, it’s Ky, I’m so happy and so excited and so happy to be back in New York. let’s go Nets.”

It didn’t take long for the Randles to embrace Brooklyn after the trade. The move brings them back closer to home, and their allegiances appear to have shifted with it.

They’ll now be cheering for a franchise very different from the one Julius once represented. The Brooklyn Nets do not have the history, fan base, or trophy cabinet of their cross-town rivals. The fact that the city breathes Knicks basketball became apparent when millions took to the streets in celebration after the team defeated the Spurs 4-1 in the NBA Finals. To a newcomer, it might have seemed as though there wasn’t another NBA team in the city at all.

As a member of the Timberwolves, Randle may have been happy to see his former teammates lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Now, however, he finds himself on the other side of the rivalry as a Net. Kendra, meanwhile, seemed to sense the move was coming days before it became official.

Julius Randle’s wife got a sign about the trade

In another story, Kendra (who seemed absolutely elated about taking a one-way flight from Minneapolis to New York) wrote, “If you know me, you know I’m all about my signs… 3 days ago I wore this purse I hadn’t worn in forever, and I found this in the back of it from 2021”.

It was the picture of a purse she had recently pulled from her closet, showing a pristine, round “Visiting Team Postgame Pass” sticking out of the fabric. The pass, dated November 30, 2021 (not from the day Kyden’s viral video was filmed), was issued for a game at the Barclays Center against the Nets.  The uncanny timing added to the emotions the family felt when they heard Julius Randle was traded to Brooklyn.

This marks a fascinating new chapter that brings Randle right back to where he established himself as an elite forward. Randle previously served as a key player in the Knicks’ rotation, earning three All-Star selections and leading the franchise out of an eight-year playoff drought in 2021. Unfortunately, Randle and the Knicks lost 4-1 to the Hawks in the first round. They then missed the playoffs in 2022 before returning the following year, only to bow out in the second round to the Miami Heat.

He was then traded to the Timberwolves in 2024 for Karl-Anthony Towns. Now, Minnesota is in the midst of a salary-shedding campaign, which brought Randle’s tenure in the Twin Cities to an end after an intense playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, who won in six games.

The Wolves orchestrated a major three-team deal with the Nets and the Chicago Bulls just hours before the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster overshadowed it. Minnesota sent Randle and the No. 28 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to Brooklyn, effectively shedding his $33.3 million contract.

By clearing roughly $36 million in total payroll, the Timberwolves created the necessary cap room to immediately re-sign Ayo Dosunmu. Meanwhile, the Nets sent cornerstone big man Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls to facilitate the deal.

Although it’s not the Knicks, the Randles are now just on the opposite side of the East River. Julius Randle steps into Brooklyn to provide a rebuilding Nets squad with proven veteran leadership, while his family happily reclaims its place in New York.